An appraisal of Multinational Joint Task Force and Counterinsurgency in the Lake Chad Basin

Abstract

On 29 January 2015, the African Union Peace and Security Council authorized the deployment of a Multinational Joint Task Force as a counterinsurgency force against the Boko Haram insurgents and allied terrorist groups in the Lake Chad Basin under the political leadership of the Lake Chad Basin Commission. The mandate was to rid the region of Boko Haram insurgency and create a safe and secure environment in the Boko Haram-affected areas. This effort resulted in a protracted conflict between the MNJTF and Boko Haram that has lingered for over a decade with attendant fatalities and humanitarian consequences. Given this background, the study appraised the counterinsurgency operations of the MNJTF within their subsisting mandate. Dwelling largely on secondary sources of data and the use of content analysis, the study found that the MNJTF has succeeded in attaining the first phase of its mandate using a military offensive to secure the Boko Haram-affected areas, and has moved into the second phase which is the stabilization of the Boko Haram affected areas. It also found out that despite the progress so far towards realizing this mandate, certain fundamental operational constraints and challenges are hindering the mission’s efforts. These include inadequate funding, lack of appropriate equipment and Operational Materials, interoperability challenges and lack of policing capability. The study therefore recommended improved funding, effective cooperation and collaboration among the TCCs and adequate provision of appropriate equipment and operational materials amongst others as the way forward for the Mission towards attaining its mandate in the region.